2012年9月26日水曜日

The Name Game

from John Kreiser of NHL.com,

The thousands of players who've suited up for NHL games run the gamut of first names -- everything from Aaron (Broten, among others) to Zarley (Zalapski -- the only player whose first and last names both begin with the letter "Z"). But if you want your son to have a career in the NHL, it might be best to name him Mike or Bob.

Michael and Robert (and their various derivatives) are by far the most plentiful on the NHL's all-time player list. There have been more than 200 NHL players named Mike/Michael/Michel (a recent count puts the number at 208), the most of any first name. Robert/Bob/Bobby is next at 194, with Dave/David/Davey a distant third at 135.

But which name would give you the best chance at winning the Stanley Cup? Compiling from a list of strictly non-active players, here's a look at some potential winning combinations:

The Waynes -- They don't have the depth of some of the other teams, but any team with Wayne Gretzky can never be taken lightly. Gretzky can dish to guys like Wayne Babych while hoping that the defense can provide enough support for goalies Wayne Stephenson and Wayne Thomas.